Alabama coach Mark Gottfried has seen his Crimson Tide have plenty of wars with Mississippi State over the years in the Southeastern Conference Western Division.

He expects tonight's game at the Humphrey Coliseum to be no different.

"We understand completely that it will be a great challenge," Gottfried said. "They are a terrific team. We've always had great battles with Mississippi State over there in Starkville and here in Tuscaloosa so we aniticpate the same thing."

Gottfried has been particularly impressed with the four-guard lineup the Bulldogs have gone with in recent weeks. He also lauded play of SEC Freshman of the Week Dee Bost.

"(Their guard play) has been terrific," Gottfried said. "(Bost) has played very well for a young player. He is extremely talented. I think with the way they are playing too with the four guards really makes all of their guard difficult to defend."

Both the Tide and the Bulldogs are coming off impressive victories to begin conference play. Alabama defeated LSU by 10 points at home on Sunday while State went on the road to knock off a hot Arkansas team. Gottfried feels Bulldogs win over the Razorbacks only helps the league as a whole.